Falling Again
by Tragic Ophelia
Summary: Can a relationship be repaired 15 years later? R/T, per usual


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A/N: Rory grew up in Paris with Lorelai I, Lorelai, & Chris. She barely knows Emily & Richard. Tristan grew up in Hartford with all the others. Minor P/J, L/H, L/C, L/R. Btw, I don't own anything. If I did, would I be writing this? Noooo.... Thanks to Priya for beta-ing & giving me a title!

The whirlwind courtship was over. The marriage had lasted all of one year. They had met one year and one week before, and been married exactly one year ago. Of course, the marriage had been breaking apart slowly since the wedding. They had met on a boat and been married exactly a week later, as the cruise ended. Lorelai "Rory" Leigh DuGrey glanced at a picture. She smiled as she remembered the trip. Her expression quickly changed as she remembered throwing almost an entire bookcase of books out of their beachfront home. She took the picture out of the frame and ripped it in half, leaving the half with her in it on the bed in the master suite. She finished packing and went downstairs.

"Tristan, where is Olivia?" Rory asked.

"She's upstairs. I'll get her," Tristan DuGrey, her soon to be ex-husband, said. He headed upstairs and came back down with Olivia and her things soon after. He handed Olivia to Rory and kissed them both on the cheek. The couple had decided to split up the three moth old twins, just so they didn't have to deal with each other. Olivia Hayden would be living with Rory, and Lorelai Emily DuGrey would live with Tristan. 

"Goodbye, Tristan," Rory said, walking out to the cab. She disappeared into the rain, and Tristan sighed. Another love lost.

****

Northern Maine: 15 Years Later

15 year old Emily DuGrey laughed as she spoke on a cell phone. Her look was casual, but you could tell it was a designer brand. Her jeans and tennis shoes had a slightly worn look, her aqua one shouldered top set off her aqua eyes perfectly, and she was kept warm by a chunky knit belted sweater.

"Dad, I'll call Aunt Louise later, I promise. Of course I will! Bye, Daddy," Emily said, hanging up her phone. She found her luggage quickly and set off for her cabin, number 22. When she got there, she introduced herself to the nearest girl.

"Hi, I'm Emily," she said to the redhead who was standing by the door.

"Katy. Everyone's here!" said the girl. "This is Lily," Katy said, pointing to a tall African-American girl, "And this is Amy," pointing to a petite short haired blonde.

"Nice to meet you," Amy said. "Wait. Is that J. Crew?" 

"Yeah. How could you tell?"

"I basically live there! I absolutely adore their clothing," Amy squealed delightfully.

"Doesn't everyone? This was a gift from my Aunt Louise... Well, she's one of my dad's best friends, but not actually related to him."

"Ah. Your parents are divorced?" Lily asked.

"Yep. They separated soon after my birth, and we moved out to Beverly Hills. Dad doesn't say much about her. I only have a picture of her," Emily said. "But my dad runs a web design company. Not like he needs to, though."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"In a few years he takes control of DuGrey Enterprises," Emily said nonchalantly.

****

Across The Camp: Cabin 13

Olivia "Liv" Hayden stood outside her cabin with her nanny, Francesca. Liv was tall, with light blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a strapless black dress with a cardigan pulled over it and simple black mules completed the look. Her hair was pulled into a French braid, and she looked very excited.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, dear?" Francesca asked.

"Of course, Francesca," Liv responded calmly. 

"You got all your mother's lists and notes?"

"Of course," Liv said. "The woman is crazy!"

"She lived with your grandmother," Francesca pointed out. Lorelai Hayden was a bit odd, but most people were convinced it was because of the woman's coffee intake. 

"I'll see you in six weeks, Francesca!" Liv said before bouncing into her cabin. Her Louis Vuitton luggage was already placed near a bed.

"Hi, I'm Alicia Danes," said a girl. She was tall, with brown hair and green eyes. 

"Olivia Hayden, but please, call me Liv."

"Okay, Liv, this is Jenna Cho," said Alicia, pointing to a Korean girl, "And this is Belle," she said, pointing to a brunette.

"Nice to meet you," Liv greeted.

"You're from Paris?" asked Belle.

"Yes. I live with my mother, and we don't live that far from my grandparents. Well, Mom is only 37, and Lorelai and Christopher are 53," Liv said. 

"Paris is my mother's name," Alicia mused. "My mom's an attorney, my dad's an author. What about you, Liv?"

"My mom is a fashion designer. Rory Hayden. Ever heard of her?" As the girls nodded, Liv continued. "And I don't know my dad. My parents divorced when I was very young."

****

One Week Later: Isolation cabin

Liv and Emily groaned. The two had been playing pranks on each other since camp started, and it had finally caught up with them. The two had been placed into the isolation cabin hours before, and now they couldn't leave because it was pouring outside. Liv was reading a book, listening to music, while Emily sat chatting on her cell phone.

"Aunt Louise, I should go. Thanks for sending the new stuff to Dad's. Yes, I know. Bye!" Emily hung up and sighed. "We need a good coffee maker."

"Coffee? We have coffee?" Liv said, slipping off her head phones.

"No... I was saying how we needed coffee," Emily explained. The two girls had been fighting ever since they got there, and this was the first nice thing either had said to each other.

"Definitely. My mother would be appalled to know she sent her daughter to a camp without coffee. After Grandma finds out, there will be a coffee maker in every room," Liv said, chuckling.

"Hmm... Your mom and grandmother are that addicted?" Emily asked furrowing her brows.

"Oh, yes. Lorelai freaked out one time when her hotel room in Tahiti didn't have a coffeemaker... I remember her yelling 'Who cares if it's tropical? I want a coffee maker!' They really hated us after that..." Liv said, chuckling.

"Lorelai?"

"Yes... My grandmother and my mother are named Lorelai. It's odd that I'm not, actually," Liv said.

"Lorelai is my name!" Emily said. "It's Lorelai Emily DuGrey..."

"Emily? My great-grandmother's name is Emily," Liv said. The girls stared at each other for a second. "Your parents are divorced?" Liv asked Emily.

"Yeah. They have been since I was three months old," Emily said. She ran over to her suitcase and pulled out all of the clothing. At the very bottom she picked up a half of a picture. "My dad gave this to me. He didn't know that I would watch him take out the picture and just stare at it for a moment. I'd do it, too, but one day he caught me and gave the picture to me."

"What's it look like?" Liv asked. She feared that it would be her mother... She had been spoiled by her grandparents for years, and her mother absolutely adored her. Rory was her best friend! She didn't know what she would do if she lost her mother. At the same time, though, Liv was thrilled knowing she could have a sibling... And her father.

"It's so old, but..." Emily said. "Here." She handed the picture to Liv, who stared at it for five minutes. "What?"

"It's my mother... I know it is!" Liv said. She picked up the small jewelry box that was sitting on the nightstand, and took a picture out of it. "I think this is your dad." Liv handed the picture to Emily, who nodded. "So, what do we do?" Liv asked.

"Easy. Ever seen the movie 'Parent Trap'?" Emily asked. Liv nodded, and she continued. "We switch places. You go to LA in my place, and I go back to Paris. We reveal the switch, and mom flies out to LA to switch us back. Mom and Dad fall in love all over again," Emily said. 

"And what happens if they just decide to let you stay in Paris and me in LA?" Liv asked.

"They won't. If you demand to go back to Paris, dad will let you."

"Okay. So, let's get started on learning everything about each other!" Liv exclaimed. They quickly found out that each loved the color blue, off-beat music, almost all designer brands, and of course, coffee.

****

2 Weeks Before Camp Ends

"Tell me everything about dad," Liv said one day.

" Okay... Dad is also known as Tristan Janlen DuGrey. He went to Chilton Prep, a school in Hartford, then to Yale. He used to be a bit of a player, you know, dating every girl possible. He never told me about mom. Actually, he did tell me that he fell in love with her and they divorced a year after. He never said anything more about her. We moved to LA after the divorce, and he started up a web design company. The only Chiltonites he keeps up with are Louise Grant-"

"Aunt Louise?" Liv asked.

"Yep, and Paris Danes. She's an attorney in Hartford, and her husband-"

"Is an author and they have a daughter named Alicia," Liv finished.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Emily said, picking out a picture of Louise from the disorganized mess of pictures in front of her. She stared at it, since it was a picture of her and Louise in Aspen from a few years ago. The two were dressed in sweaters and jeans, their arms wrapped around each other. Even though she loved Louise like a mother, she was excited to be going to see her-even if Rory thought she was Liv.

"She was my cabin mate before we were sent to isolation..." Liv said. Emily jumped up and ran out of the cabin, and a few seconds later Liv came out racing after her. When they got to cabin 13, the two girls came in, pulled Alicia out, and dragged her back to the isolation cabin.

"What was that for? We were in the middle of something!" Alicia said angrily. The twins shared a glance, and Alicia went on. "I am not to be pulled around at your beck and call! If you want something-"

"Shut up, already! We need your parents' help," Emily said. "We're trying to get Rory Hayden and Tristan DuGrey back together, and since Paris knows Dad..."

"We need her help in pulling this off," Liv finished. Alicia sighed and pulled a card out of her pocket.

"That's my mom's business card. Call her if you want any answers. Her cell phone is on the back, too," Alicia said, walking out the door muttering.

****

Last Day of Camp

Liv had on a pair of denim shorts, a tank top, and a J. Crew logo sweatshirt on. Emily had a tan linen skirt and a white sweater set on. Each was worrying that someone would notice the differences.

"Francesca will meet you at the airport. If you can fool her, you can fool anyone," Liv told the newly blonde girl. 

"Dad will meet you at LAX. Just tell him you got bored, dyed your hair, and got contacts. He won't care, nor will he check. Good luck!" Emily said. The girls stood together until a counselor told them that Olivia Hayden's limo was here.

"Bye, Emily!" Liv called out. She hugged Emily goodbye, and watched as Emily disappeared into the limo. She left a few minutes later when Emily DuGrey's limo came to pick her up.

****

Paris, France: Hayden Townhouse

Francesca and Emily had been chatting since Emily had been picked up at the airport. They got to the townhouse, and Emily raced inside. Her mother was on the phone, speaking happily in French. She heard the door slam and quickly hung up. When she turned around, she found her darling daughter.

"Liv! Oh, I'm so glad you're home!" Rory Hayden said. She was still very young, and she was fashionable. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a light blue button down shirt, a pair of sandals, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail, giving her the look of a young college student.

"Hi mom," Emily said shyly.

"Well, come over here! Lorelai is going to be here soon," Rory said, pulling her daughter into a hug. "I want coffee!" She pulled her daughter into the kitchen, and handed her a cup of the steaming hot liquid before pouring herself one and sitting at the kitchen table. "Tell me about camp."

"It was... Interesting," Emily said, with a hint of a French accent, just like Liv normally had. "I met a lot of nice people there. Alicia is Jess Dane's daughter. Haven't you read some of his books?"

"Yep. Grandma and I have met him, actually. We went back to the states years ago to see Emily and Richard and we stumbled upon this little town with the best coffee ever! He worked there," Rory said. A few minutes later, Lorelai Hayden burst in through the door, and went straight to the cabinet, getting a cup and filling it with coffee. "Hi mom!"

"Hey babe. Hey Liv, how was camp?" asked the eldest Lorelai. She was also still very young, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had a cup of coffee on it. She didn't look a day older than 32.

"Fun. They didn't have coffee at all though," Emily said, noticing the shocked expressions. Lorelai excused herself, muttering about coffee and coffee deprived Haydens.

****

Los Angeles International Airport

Liv stepped out of the jet way and almost immediately found her father. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Tristan DuGrey still looked like he was 25. Dressed in a suit, he looked a bit more mature, but not by much. His hair was still tousled, his eyes still bright with excitement.

"Happy to see me, Em?"

"Of course. The camp was awful! They didn't have any coffee at all! I mean, six weeks is a long time to go without coffee!" Liv complained as they got her baggage.

"Em..." Tristan sighed. "You know, it wouldn't be bad if you gave up coffee for awhile." Liv stopped in shock. Emily had told her that Tristan hated the coffee addiction and would try to get her to stop drinking it, but she had only been there for five minutes!

"Give up coffee? You're absolutely crazy! It would be equal to someone going through cocaine withdrawal! Do you really want to put up with a slightly delusional person?" Liv snapped rapidly.  


"Now that you mention it... No. C'mon. We're going upstate to the house in Napa Valley," he said. She followed him out to a Mercedes SUV and they got in to head to the summer house. On the way there, they talked about a lot of things. When they arrived, a woman brought Emily's things into Emily's room. 

"Em! I want you to meet someone," Tristan said. 

"I want to take a swim. I'll meet you by the pool in fifteen minutes?" Liv asked. She ran up to her room and pulled out a light blue bathing suit and changed quickly. The top was one shouldered, the bottoms were basic bikini bottoms. She ran into the attached bathroom and pulled out a beach towel and then put a pareo on over the bottoms. She went downstairs and walked out to the pool.

"Dad?" Liv yelled. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and took off the pareo. She dived into the pool, and got a few laps done before Tristan reappeared.

"Em, sweetie, can you get out of the pool?" Tristan asked. Liv shook her head and swam to the side, resting her arms on the concrete. "Okay... I want you to meet someone."

"Where is she?" Liv asked. Tristan held up a finger and went back inside, returning with a tall redhead a few minutes later. The redhead was wearing a simple yellow halter dress, wedge heels, and her hair was pulled into a bun. She had green eyes, flawless skin, and was perfectly made up.

"Chloe, this is my daughter Emily. Emily, this is Chloe... My fiancee," Tristan said. Liv stared at him in shock before swimming to a ladder and getting out.

"Your what?!" she almost screamed.

"My fiancee," Tristan said confusedly. Liv started ranting in French and then quickly switched to Spanish. "Honey?"

"Estoy hablando!" Liv screamed. She ran inside and found her cell phone, dialing her home number.

"Hayden residence," Francesca said.  


"May I speak with Olivia, please?" Liv asked impatiently.

"Just a moment," Francesca said. A few minutes later, Emily picked up.

"Dad's engaged!" Liv said.

"What?! You're kidding me!"

"I don't think so. Would I pull this type of joke? I was swimming, and he told me, then I kind of started ranting in French, switched to Spanish, and yelled 'I'm talking' in Spanish, then came up here to tell you," Liv said.

"Liv, Liv, Liv," Emily said clicking her tounge.  
  
"Em, Em, Em," Liv said imitating Emily. "What do I do?"

"We'll speed up the plan. Any other things?"

"Nope."

"Later, then," Emily said, hanging up. She turned around and found Francesca. "Hey Francesca. You know, I think I'm going to go-"

"Not until you tell me everything… Emily," Francesca stated softly. She hugged her and said "I won't tell Rory or Lorelai, but I want to know all of it."

"Liv and I got sent to isolation, where we discovered we were sisters. We decided we'd try to put mom and dad back together by switching places. Liv is supposed to find out why they split, I have to find out everything about how they met. Of course, finding out dad is engaged is not a good thing," Emily explained.

"Ah, yes... So now Liv has to try to break them up?" Francesca asked.

"Sort of. She has to find a way that we could meet, on accident, of course, so that we can pull off the switch," Emily admitted guiltily. 

"So, what do I need to do?" Francesca asked. Emily stared at her in shock. "What? I've been Liv's nanny since she was born, and I know that Rory and Tristan are made for each other."

"Before we left camp, I told Liv to find out if dad had any trips planned to Europe or the East Coast. When she finds out, she'll fax all the information," Emily said.

"Okay... I'll keep an eye out for any faxes," Francesca said.

"And Paris Danes is helping... Do you know Louise Grant?" Francesca nodded, and Emily went on. "She might be helpful. I consider her my aunt, and Dad and Louise are best friends."

"We'll keep her in mind. Your mom and Louise got along well," Francesca said. The were interrupted by a knocking on the door.

"Hey kiddo. You want to go to my shop? We're having a bit of a crisis!" Rory said, stepping into the room. She had changed from her casual attire to a light tan gabardine suit. She looked more professional now, but still very young.

"Yeah, sure. What's going on?" Emily asked. She stood up from her position in the chair, and slipped on the sandals.

"We're just having a small problem at the shoot. Ready?" Rory asked. Emily nodded and followed her mother downstairs to the waiting limo. When they got to the shop, there was a very rude man as the photographer.

"They simply will not cooperate," said the photographer, an African-American Frenchman.

"Oh, Michel!" Rory said. "What are you demanding they do?"

"I am asking that they act like they are at a simple dinner," Michel Gerard said. "It was what you get for using Americans."

"Michel, I am American! I was born there, you know," Rory stated.

"Yes, and I have always been nice to you?" Michel asked. Rory rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air before speaking with the models.

"Okay, Michel. You have your wish," Rory said. She turned to her daughter. "Since this crisis is solved, want to go shopping?" 

"Yeah..." As they walked out of the shop, Emily paused in front of Hayden Designs. "Mom, you designed that?"

"I had to do _something_ while you were gone," Rory replied. The girls grabbed a cup of coffee from a nearby cafe before setting off to bankrupt the Hayden family.

****

A Few Days Later: Napa Valley

Liv looked over all of the information. Her dad, Chloe, and herself were going to Hartford for the Chilton reunion in two weeks. That barely gave Emily any time to make plans! She scribbled a note for her, though.

__

Em,

Here's the stuff you wanted. I'd start booking everything ASAP! I talked to Louise like you asked and she's on board. Paris is helping, and we should be all set if you can get to Hartford... What are you waiting for? GO!

Liv.

Liv faxed everything, and sighed when no one walked in through the door of her dad's home office. She left the office, taking the stuff with her.

"Oh, Emily? What were you doing in your dad's office?" Chloe asked. Liv whirled around and saw Chloe standing in the middle of the hall with a smug look on her face.

"Just faxing something to a friend from camp. After all, we did promise to keep in touch," Liv covered smoothly. She smiled sweetly at Chloe before heading up the stairs. She put the papers in a locked box, and turned to go downstairs to the kitchen. Chloe was standing in her doorway.

"Em, we need to have a talk," Chloe said. Emily rolled her eyes before brushing past Chloe. "Emily?"

"Call my secretary!" Liv yelled as she ran down the stairs.She ran into the kitchen, and grabbed a green apple before heading outside onto the sun porch. 

"Emily..." Chloe said sweetly. "I was hoping we could become friends before the trip to Hartford. How's it going to look when I meet Louise, who adores you, and you hate me?"

"Frankly, I don't give a damn," Liv said. She sat down on the edge of the rail.

"Look, Em, I really want to get along with you," she said. "It's hard trying to fit into an already established pattern, you know. I remember how hard it was for Sarah, my stepmother, to find a niche in my house when she married my father."

"Sure ya do, Chlo," Liv mumbled under her breath. Liv stood up, brushed off her shorts, and went back inside. Chloe followed her in.

"Look, Em..."

"Chlo? Em? Is there something wrong?" Tristan asked as he came into the kitchen. Chloe instantly brightened, and Liv rolled her eyes.

"Of course not, daddy. I promised Lana I'd go shopping with her today. You don't mind if we go out to San Francisco, do you?" Liv asked. She was going to go to San Francisco, but she wasn't going with Lana. This way she could talk with Emily, and plan how to get rid of Chloe altogether.

"Not at all. See you later, Em," Tristan said. His daughter grabbed her purse and ran out to the waiting limo.

****

Paris: Hayden Household, Same Time

Rory jumped at the sound of the ringing fax. She stood up from her desk and walked to receive it. She was waiting on some designs from London and Milan that she had asked for when she picked up the note Liv had written Emily. "Liv... Wait." Rory raced out of her home office and up the stairs, finally stopping at Liv's door. She knocked and waited for Liv to let her in.

"Hey mom," Emily said when Rory walked in. Rory sat down in the chair next to Liv's bed. Emily was sitting in the window seat reading a book. 

"Hey Emily," Rory said. Emily stared at her, shocked, and almost fell off the window seat.

"How? But- I don't- No- What?!" Emily sputtered. Rory handed her the fax and Emily dropped her head in shame. Rory put her arm around her.

"It's okay, Em... Really, it is," Rory soothed, kissing the top of Emily's head. 

"Then... Can we meet dad in Hartford? Maybe we could work out a new agreement, since Liv and I are sisters and we want to see each other.." Emily said.

"Don't count on it. Your father and I... We're both very stubborn," Rory said. Emily laughed, and Rory shot her a glare. "We set this up so that we didn't have to see each other... Neither of us thought you two might like meeting."

"Well... Liv and I wanted to know everything about your relationship. How'd you meet?" Emily asked. Rory sat back on Liv's bed, and closed her eyes.

"It was fifteen years ago. I was going on a cruise across the Atlantic, from New York to London. Your father and I met on the first night. It truly was love at first sight. We were barely apart that week. On the next to last night, he proposed. The last night of the cruise, we got married. It was just spectacular! Everything was magical. Everything seemed to be great," Rory said.

"Seemed?" Emily interjected. Her mother frowned, then nodded.

"Seemed. At first, we couldn't decide where to live. Tristan lived in LA, I lived in Paris. Louise suggested the East Coast. We moved to New York City. A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. Of course, everything just seemed odd then. Your father wouldn't let me have coffee, or any other food I wanted. Then we argued about my work or his. Then our parents. Finally, I couldn't take it. One week we were in the Hamptons, and I threw almost an entire bookcase of books out the window. That pretty much cemented the end. I filed for divorce a few weeks later," Rory said.

"Did you still love him?"

"Yeah, I did. We just couldn't work things out. I've always wondered..." Rory shook her head, but continued. "I've wondered what it would be like if we remarried, or never even divorced."

"Me too," Emily said quietly. The pair sat in silence before Emily asked "Can we go to Hartford?"

"Yes!" Rory said, laughing. "C'mon, let's go get some coffee."


End file.
